FSEvents on macOS doesn't detect SQLite WAL file changes
Status Fixed / completed
Maintainer reply None cached
Workaround ✓ Mentioned in description ↑
Activity 1 comment · opened Jan 6, 2026 · closed Jan 6, 2026
Problem
When using file watching (watchdog) to detect database changes on macOS, FSEvents doesn't reliably detect modifications to SQLite WAL files. This affects cross-process monitoring where a separate process watches for database changes.
Root Cause
FSEvents on macOS doesn't report changes to SQLite WAL files because:
- WAL files are modified in-place without triggering typical file system events
- FSEvents does "temporal coalescing" which may miss rapid changes
- Changes go to the WAL file, not the main .db file
Upstream Issue
Blocked on: https://github.com/emcrisostomo/fswatch/issues/150
Workaround
Touch a marker file after database modifications (with debouncing) on macOS to trigger file system events that FSEvents will detect.
References
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